This week the children are finishing and publishing their research papers on an individual from the Renaissance and we will begin exploring the great Age of Exploration. We continue our group lessons in language, math, fractions, geometry, dictation, chemistry, dictation and Latin. Most of the children have hit a good stride in their work and are making lots of progress. It is hard to believe we only have 3 months left of school; there is still a lot of information we need to cover with the students. There will be several interruptions to our regular schedule during the remainder of the year: a field trip to the PotashCorp ECO Lodge, a field trip for 4th graders to the Estuarium, Kidsfest, spring break, EOG testing, the end-of-year field trip for 6th graders and the Memorial Day holiday. Please encourage your kids to use their time in class wisely!

As mentioned above we have a field trip coming up next Friday! We will be visiting the PotashCorp ECO Lodge at the East Carolina Scout Reservation in Blount’s Creek. The children will participate in a map and compass activity (this timing correlates perfectly with our study of the Age of Exploration), a GPS geocache “safari” which is a great combination with the map and compass activity, and team building challenge games. We will be traveling by car for this trip and are in need of drivers and chaperones. If your schedule allows, please consider helping out in this way. See the attached permission slip for more details. We will again be using money from our field trip fund raised by Chick-Fil-A hot lunch sales to offset the price for this trip. Thanks!

Please give us a call with any questions or concerns. Thanks for all you do!

Warm Regards,

Austin and Cortni

Monday, January 6, 2014

Dear Families,

Happy New Year!! We hope the holiday break brought you a restful respite from the daily grind. The children worked diligently this morning; they seemed ready to be back! We have hit the ground running this week; language and Latin lessons were today, math lessons will be tomorrow, fractions and history lessons on Wednesday, geometry and history lessons on Thursday and science lessons on Friday. We will begin studying the middle ages this week with a look at the Vikings and the Barbarians! The children began writing on this topic this morning.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of proper carline procedures. There have been a few close calls recently and we want to be sure we begin a new year as safely and efficiently as possible. If you pick up or drop off your child(ren) at the 9-12 building, please use the far right lane. If you pick up or drop off at the 6-9 building, please use the MIDDLE lane. Remember, the far left lane is for kindergarten and middle school pick-up/drop off (you will be directed as to when you should begin to merge toward the buildings) and exiting traffic. Please do not use the far left lane if you are picking up at the 6-9 building. Finally, always watch for, and take direction from, the staff members in the driveway. We will do our best to ensure everyone gets to where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible! Thank you for your patience and cooperation in this matter!

The last day of the second grading period is Friday, January 17. You will receive your child’s second report card shortly thereafter. If you would like to discuss with us your child’s progress we can set up a conference for the week of January 27 – 31 (the last week of the month). Please give us a call or email us to book a time slot.

This is the time of year (between now and mid-April) that we typically see the children progress the most academically. Please continue to discuss with them their daily journals and weekly workcharts in order to stay up-to-date on their work/lessons. As usual, please don’t hesitate to call or email us with any questions or concerns you may have. Thanks for all you do!!

Tuesday, February 18 – field trip to Raleigh (more information to follow)

Monday, December 2, 2013

Dear Families,

We hope you all had a happy and restful Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by friends and loved ones! We have hit the ground running in class. This week we will finish up our study of Ancient Rome, learn to take notes from a spoken source, work with Roman numerals in math and helping verbs in language. Other small group lessons continue as usual.

To celebrate our study of Ancient Rome we would like to prepare an Italian meal this Friday! We plan to help the children make spaghetti Bolognese (meat sauce), salad and bread for their lunch. It is certainly not required, but if anyone would like to send a few dollars to help us purchase the ingredients for this activity we would be very grateful. We plan to shop Thursday afternoon so please send any monetary contributions before the end of the day Thursday. Thank you!

Also, don’t forget that its baby blanket time! Each year, as a holiday giving project, our students make baby blankets. The blankets are delivered to Vidant Medical Center in Washington where they will be given to families at the birth of their precious babies. Please send in a yard or two of soft, baby-appropriate fabric. The blankets will be made by sewing 2 pieces of fabric back-to-back, so please send in matching/coordinating colors or designs. Boy, girl or neutral colors and designs are fine. The blankets will be delivered to the hospital December 19th or 20th so we hope to have them completed by Wednesday of that week. Thanks!

Please contact us with any questions or concerns!

Fondly,

Austin and Cortni

Heads Up:

Wednesday, 12/4 – Chick-Fil-A hot lunch

Friday, 12/6 – classroom spaghetti lunch

Friday, 12/6 – Christmas concert at 6:30 pm, Washington High School

Friday, 12/13 – Deadline for Heifer International collections

Friday, 12/20 – ½ day; noon dismissal, NO AFTER SCHOOL CARE

Monday, November 25, 2013

Hello Everyone!

Since this week is short, the children will have a lighter work load. They will have lessons in history, math and fractions. Other standing assignments will be due on the normal days of the week.

Please talk to your child about the Heifer International giving project. We have encouraged the students to complete some tasks/chores around their homes or neighborhoods. Our hope is that they will get paid for their chores and donate the money to Heifer International. Thank you to those who have already brought in donations!

When we return from Thanksgiving, we will begin sewing our baby blankets. These blankets are donated to the newborns at the hospital. If you have fleece or soft “baby-like” fabric, please send it with your child. Generally, we cut them a yard long. Each blanket usually costs approximately $8.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Austin and Cortni

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Dear Families,

This week the kids are finishing their Greek myths and writing about Greek philosophers and sophists. In history our study of Ancient Greece continues with a look at architecture, the Peloponnesian War, and the conquests of Alexander the Great. This morning the children received Dr. Montessori’s fifth Great Lesson, The History of Math. Small group lessons continue in all other content areas.

We will be finishing up parent conferences this week. If you missed your conference and would like to reschedule please send us an email to that effect or send in a note with your child. Thanks!

Thank you to our parent volunteers who drove last Friday to Goose Creek!

As always, please contact us with any questions or concerns; we love to hear from you. Thanks for all that you do!

Cortni and Austin

Heads Up:

Monday 11/4 – Wednesday 11/13 – Parent/Teacher conferences

Thursday 11/14 – Community Meeting @ 6:30 (middle school will serve dinner for $7 per plate)

This week we are practicing creative writing by retelling the story of the Trojan horse and in history

we will continue learning about the Ancient Greeks. We’ve interjected a few art lessons as well. The

children have learned about frescos and many are creating their own masterpieces. In addition,

they’ve been introduced to Michelangelo and Da Vinci via our lesson on frescos. Small group lessons

continue in all other content areas.

Please remember the 6th

First Baptist Church in downtown Washington (on the corner of Harvey and Main). Dinner will be

served at 6:00pm with the plays beginning around 7:00. The cost is $7 per person or $25 for a family.

Each year we ask the 4th

our 6th

-grade parents. So far we’ve only received a commitment for napkins, sugar and cups. Please

see instructions below on how to sign up to bring an item. Thank you for your willingness to help!

Our class continues to struggle with balancing the need for socialization with appropriate behavior.

While it is developmentally appropriate for the children to be very conversational with one another at

this age, it is also critical for them to adhere to the behavioral guidelines they set forth for themselves

at the beginning of the year. As a group we determined that each student has the right to the

following conditions in the classroom: to work without being interrupted by another student, to work in

a quiet environment, respectful silence during community so as to listen to one another, kindness and

respect for all things (both living and non-living) will be used at all times by everyone. We are trying to

help the kids moderate their own behavior but occasionally it may be necessary to send home some

behavior notes. If you receive (or have already received) one of these notes please discuss these

expectations with your child. It is not necessary to communicate with us about it, beyond signing and

returning the note, unless you feel there is a specific need. Thank you for your continued support!

As always, fall is a very busy time for most of us and filled with lots of fun activities. We hope you

are enjoying quality time together with your families during this beautiful season! The children seem

to enjoy what they are learning in school and we enjoy spending our days with them. Thank you for

sharing them with us!

Austin & Cortni To sign up for dinner theater items:

Visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45A8AE2FA3FE3-6thgrade

OR

Visit www.signupgenius.com and click the tab for “find a sign up.”

THEN

• At “search”, enter austin.andrews@wmpcs.org, and solve the advertisement puzzle.

• Sign up for the items you would like to donate.

After you sign up, we will send home the recipe you need.

“The adult must find within himself the still unknown error that prevents him from seeing the child as

Grade Dinner Theater will be held Tuesday evening, November 5th at

, 5th

and 6th

year families to help prepare the food so as not to overburden

he is.” – Maria Montessori

Heads Up:

Tuesday 10/29 - End of 1st

Thursday 10/31 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch money DUE by noon ($5)

Friday 11/1 – Teacher Workday

Monday, 11/4 – ½ day school; noon dismissal

Monday 11/4 – Wednesday 11/13 – Parent/Teacher conferences

Tuesday 11/5 – 6th

Wednesday 11/6 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch is served

Friday, 11/8 – 5th

Monday 11/11 – Veteran’s Day holiday – no school!

Thursday 11/14 – Community Meeting

quarter

-grade Dinner Theater @ 6:00pm

grade field trip to Goose Creek State Park

Monday, October 21, 2013

Dear Families,

This week your children are working on writing rough and final drafts about the ancient civilizations of India and China. We are studying the ancient Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. In science, some children are continuing to work with the microscope, some are learning about the 3 domains in an introduction to bacteria and prokaryotic cells and others are learning about the 5 kingdoms of life. Small group lessons continue in language, math, fractions, geometry and dictation. On Mondays and Fridays the kids receive Latin lessons and practice 5-minute math drills.

The 6th Grade Dinner Theater will be held Tuesday evening, November 5th at First Baptist Church in downtown Washington (on the corner of Harvey and Main). Dinner will be served at 6:00pm with the plays beginning around 7:00. The cost is $7 per person or $25 for a family. We have prepared a Greek menu for the dinner theater. Each year we ask our 4th, 5th, and 6th year families to help prepare food. Please see instructions below on how to sign up.If you bring soup, please bring it in a regular pot as we will be combing like soups into a large stock pot. Thank you in advance!

On Friday, November 8, our 5th graders will be going to Goose Creek State Park for the annual Environmental Day. Please see the attached field trip permission slip for details. There is no charge for this field trip, but we do need drivers. If you are able to drive, please indicate that on the permission slip. The commitment is for about 3 hours.

The schedule for parent conferences went home earlier this week, either via email or paper copy. Please let us know if you have a scheduling conflict.

Austin & Cortni

To sign up to bring items for dinner theater:

Visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45A8AE2FA3FE3-6thgrade

OR

Visit www.signupgenius.com and click the tab for “find a sign up.”

THEN

 At “search”, enter austin.andrews@wmpcs.org, and solve the advertisement puzzle.

 Sign up for the items you would like to donate.

After you sign up, we will send home the recipe you need.

Heads Up:

Tuesday 10/29 - End of 1st quarter

Friday 11/1 – Teacher Workday

Monday, 11/4 – ½ day school; noon dismissal

Tuesday 11/5 – 6th-grade Dinner Theater @ 6:00pm

Monday 11/11 – Veteran’s Day holiday – no school!

Monday 11/4 – Wednesday 11/13 – Parent/Teacher conferences

Friday, 11/8 – 5th grade field trip to Goose Creek State Park

Monday, September 30, 2013

Good Afternoon Everyone!

This week in history we are beginning our study of ancient civilizations, starting with the Megaliths. We have finished the study of experimental design in science and are working on the parts of the microscope. In addition, the students are completing work and receiving lessons in the core content areas.

Please remember that the Board of Trustees meeting will be this Thursday, October 3. Please come out and show your support for adding a high school! Also, this Friday morning from 8:00 – 9:30 is Donuts for Dads. This is an opportunity for your child to spend some time in the classroom with someone special to them. They can show some of their work, demonstrate lessons they’ve received and show them around the room. We look forward to seeing dads, grandfathers, uncles, cousins and friends this Friday from 8:00 – 9:30!

Your child should have brought home the proof of his or her school picture along with an order form. These forms are due back by October 8.

You will notice in your child’s work chart this week we have included a journal. The children are using these daily journals to account for how they are using their time in class. This will help them to prioritize their work and learn responsibility for their time. Please initial each page of the journal along with the work chart for last week and return both by your child. Thank you!

As always, please call or email us if you have any questions or concerns.

This week we continue our study of ancient river valley civilizations with a look at Ancient China and Ancient India. Writing will be focused on the river valley civilizations as well. Science lessons have begun to differentiate with some children continuing to work with the microscope while others are learning about the 5 kingdoms of life. Small group lessons continue in language, math, fractions, geometry and dictation. On Mondays and Fridays the kids receive Latin lessons and practice 5-minute math drills.

The children have been creating beautiful works, most of which we have laminated, as extensions from the lessons they’ve received. They are very proud of these materials and we are proud of their hard work!

It’s that time again!! Our annual sixth-grade dinner theater is right around the corner! This year, since we are studying European history, our menu and plays will reflect the theme of Greek mythology. As most of you know this event benefits the sixth graders by helping to offset the cost of their end-of-year field trip. To ensure the success of this endeavor we need everyone’s help (even parents of 4th and 5th graders…your child will reap the benefits in a year or two). We will be sending home a list of items needed such as food, beverages, and paper products. If possible please consider helping us with this venture. The dinner theater will be held Tuesday evening, November 5th at First Baptist Church in downtown Washington (on the corner of Harvey and Main). Dinner will be served beginning at 6:00pm with the plays beginning around 7:00. The cost is $7 per person or $25 for a family. Prepayment is welcomed as this would help us get an idea of how many for which to prepare but tickets will be available at the door as well.

Each day the children become a little more accomplished with time management and prioritization. Except for lost recess due to the rainy weather, they seem happy at school. Thank you for sharing them with us! As always, please contact us with any questions or concerns.

Austin & Cortni

Heads Up:

Wednesday 10/16 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch is served

Tuesday 10/29 - End of 1st quarter

Friday 11/1 – Teacher Workday

Tuesday 11/5 – 6th-grade Dinner Theater @ 6:00pm

Monday 11/11 – Veteran’s Day holiday – no school!

Monday 11/4 – Wednesday 11/13 – Parent/Teacher conferences

Monday, September 23, 2013

Good Afternoon Everyone!

This week in history we are wrapping up our work with the Timeline of Life and Early Humans. We are writing about the Timeline of Life and prehistoric organisms. The kids will receive the Fundamental Needs of Man lesson as a precursor to our study of ancient civilizations, which begins in a couple of weeks. Our next science lessons will be about the compound microscope and its uses. We are in a good groove with our small group lessons in the core content areas of language, math, fractions, and geometry. Latin lessons, dictation lessons, and 5-minute math are activities that occur semiweekly on Mondays and Fridays.

Thank you to Angie Moore and Julie Fagundus who have graciously volunteered to be our room parents this year! These ladies will be helping us coordinate events and activities so be on the lookout for emails or phone calls from them. Thank you so much ladies!!

Many of you have heard by now that WMPCS is considering adding a high school to our charter. Our administration (Jen Hales and Austin Smigel) has done an amazing job pulling together all the information needed for our Board of Trustees to make an informed decision about this amazing opportunity. If at all possible please come to the Board meeting on October 3 to show your support for this new and exciting venture. The Board of Trustees will make their final decision about adding the high school at that time.

The children are happy and working hard to become normalized. Thank you for sharing them with us! Please call or email us if you have any questions or concerns.

We hope you all enjoyed the wonderful weather we had over the weekend! This week we will continue our lessons on Dr. Montessori’s Timeline of Life and start our discussion of Early Humans. We will also continue with our standard weekly lessons in Language, Math, Fractions, Geometry and Science.

Last week the class voted and elected Brooke Borton as the new 5th grade UN Representative. She will be joining our 6th grade representative, Samantha Knox at the school’s UN meetings and the two girls will report back to the class about what was discussed and decisions that were made.

Also, we are in need of a room parent. A room parent generally assists with preparations for such things as field trips, the sixth-grade dinner theater, Kidsfest, etc. If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please email us or send a note with your child to school.

Today your child should bring home his or her work chart from last week. Please take some time to review the work chart with your child and sign the bottom!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

Cortni & Austin

Heads Up:

Wednesday, 9/18 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch is SERVED

Thursday, 9/19 – Board of Trustees meeting 7:00pm - *Come out and show your support for adding a high school to WMPCS!

We are excited to begin our first FULL week of school. It’ll be great for the kids to see what a typical week feels like when we are here every day. Our lessons are moving along well. Our lessons this week (and each typical week) are as follows: language, dictation, Latin and (usually) writing on Mondays, math on Tuesdays, fractions on Wednesdays, geometry and history on Thursdays and science and dictation on Fridays. The kids usually have a writing activity to complete each day; in addition, on Mondays and Fridays we complete a quick little 5-minute math drill to help them with math fact fluency.

This Thursday we will present Dr. Montessori’s second Great Lesson, The Timeline of Life (a.k.a. The Coming of Life). We will investigate the progression of life throughout the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic and Neozoic Eras. In science the children will be learning about microscopes and how to use them properly.

On Friday afternoon we spent a while during community discussing appropriate behavior at certain times. The kids seem to be having some difficulty, primarily, with talking when they shouldn’t. We discussed why it is important to follow the classroom guidelines as well as consequences for not remembering to follow them. The children had lots of ideas and thoughts on this topic and contributed to the creation of our new “plan”. It was a good experience for them!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

Cortni & Austin

P.S. Your child should have brought home his/her work chart from last week. Take a few minutes and allow him/her to tell you about their work from last week then sign the bottom!

Heads Up:

Wednesday, 9/11 SCHOOL PICTURES (in uniform)

Thursday, 9/12 – meeting for 6th,7th and 8th-grade parents regarding adding a WMPCS high school - 6:00pm in the BASC room; Community Meeting immediately following at 6:30

Friday, 9/13 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch money is DUE ($5)

Wednesday, 9/18 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch is SERVED

Thursday, 9/19 – Board of Trustees meeting 7:00pm - *Come out and show your support for adding a high school to WMPCS!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Hi Everyone!

We are excited to begin our first FULL week of school. It’ll be great for the kids to see what a typical week feels like when we are here every day. Our lessons are moving along well. Our lessons this week (and each typical week) are as follows: language, dictation, Latin and (usually) writing on Mondays, math on Tuesdays, fractions on Wednesdays, geometry and history on Thursdays and science and dictation on Fridays. The kids usually have a writing activity to complete each day; in addition, on Mondays and Fridays we complete a quick little 5-minute math drill to help them with math fact fluency.

This Thursday we will present Dr. Montessori’s second Great Lesson, The Timeline of Life (a.k.a. The Coming of Life). We will investigate the progression of life throughout the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic and Neozoic Eras. In science the children will be learning about microscopes and how to use them properly.

On Friday afternoon we spent a while during community discussing appropriate behavior at certain times. The kids seem to be having some difficulty, primarily, with talking when they shouldn’t. We discussed why it is important to follow the classroom guidelines as well as consequences for not remembering to follow them. The children had lots of ideas and thoughts on this topic and contributed to the creation of our new “plan”. It was a good experience for them!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

Cortni & Austin

P.S. Your child should have brought home his/her work chart from last week. Take a few minutes and allow him/her to tell you about their work from last week then sign the bottom!

Heads Up:

Wednesday, 9/11 - SCHOOL PICTURES (in uniform)

Thursday, 9/12 – meeting for 6th,7th and 8th-grade parents regarding adding a WMPCS high school - 6:00pm in the BASC room; Community Meeting immediately following at 6:30 in the middle school building

Friday, 9/13 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch money is DUE ($5)

Wednesday, 9/18 – Chick-fil-a hot lunch is SERVED

Thursday, 9/19 – Board of Trustees meeting 7:00pm - *Come out and show your support for adding a high school to WMPCS!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Greetings Everyone!

We hope you had a wonderful long weekend! The children are happy and seem ready to work so we are going to “bring it” this week! We have finished assessing most of the children and small-group lessons will begin in many content areas. We will continue investigating concepts that were introduced during the Fable of Creation such as states of matter and some basic laws of physics. We will also share with the children creation stories from other cultures/religions. They will have the opportunity to write their own fable as well, which is always a popular assignment with the kids. Toward the end of the week we will begin discussing the scientific method in preparation for our studies of botany and chemistry. In addition to these topics the children will practice their reading skills via SRA, Multiple Skills and Cloze passages. They will be busy, busy, busy!

Last week the students practiced their persuasive writing skills by writing a friendly letter to the class about the animal they believed we should acquire as a classroom pet. After the children shared their letters we voted on which animal we should get . . . hamsters won by a landslide! So, today we welcomed our furry friend to the classroom. We feel very fortunate to have the privilege of helping the children learn to be responsible for another living thing as well as develop a sense of empathy through this part of our curriculum. Dr. Montessori believed this to be a vital part of educating the “whole child”.

Please contact us with any questions, comments or concerns! We look forward to hearing from you.

Cortni & Austin

P.S. Your child should have brought home his/her work chart from last week. Take a few minutes and allow him/her to tell you about their work from last week.